Automatic promotion slot? I admire your optimism

If they play like they've been playing, West Ham will lucky to beat Doncaster Rovers.

No, it would be the wrong move. Tony Carr is the best developer of youth talent in the country. It'd be foolish indeed to take him away from that role and put him in the West Ham hotseat.

You need someone experienced, with the strength of character to stand up to Gollivan and Brady, but also someone with a cool head who won't be wound up by them. I'm afraid that completely rules out Paulo Di Canio.

My favourite football book of recent years is The Damned United - the story of how Cloughie and Peter Taylor took over and rebuilt Derby County, and won the league, and then did the same with Notts Forest, and went even further (we'll ignore the Leeds fiasco).

They were a team - Cloughie the motivator, Taylor the supreme scout.

Taylor was a genius spotter - he found discarded ex-internationals and overlooked youngsters, teamed them up with the rough diamonds already at the clubs (including a certain Martin O'Neill at Forest) and then Cloughie forged them into invincibles.

Wouldn't it be bloody brilliant if we could get a managerial team as good as that at Upton Park?

I suppose we can all dream, but I'd love it to come true next season.

You gotta have a strong personality as captain - Upson just weren't up to it. There's gonna be a lot of people heading for the door, and a lot of youngsters left behind. They're gonna need good leadership, on the field and off. Need an experienced head. It might be better to bring in someone from outside.

I'd give my last Rolo to see a 26-year-old Billy Bonds or Dave Mackay type come to West Ham.

Tony Gale just on Sky Sports News talking a lot of sense. Says some of the stories about the running of the club that he's been hearing have been appalling: training ground bustups, players walking away when dropped, board sticking their oar when its not wanted. Total nightmare.

David Sullivan would sell his granny if he saw a bob in it. Don't forget that this is a man who, after his former girlfriend Mary Millington killed herself, made an exploitation movie of her life story.

Nice fella.

What a predictable end to a farcical season. If you had to put your money on anybody missing a last-minutes sitter to save West Ham, you'd have put it on Carlton Cole. Good riddance to him, Upson, and most of all AVRAM GRANT.

I think West Ham need help from a higher power...so:

From: Irons_Man
To: benedictxvi@vatican.va.
Date: 14/5/2011 15.22.17 GMT Daylight Time
Subject: Please Say A Prayer For West Ham United

Bcc: ArchBish@lambethpalace.co.uk; Dalai.Lama@Lama.com;

Your Holiness

Please can you say a prayer for West Ham United to stay in the Premiership, and be delivered from the fiery depths of Championship damnation.

I know that the players do not deserveth salvation, and that many of them in fact deserveth crucifixion - no offence intended. But the fans, good and faithful people all, have done nothing to warrant such an unholy fate. Indeed, they have prayed religiously every weekend, and [some] have abstained from cursing and blasphemy, even though the manager doth much provoketh them. But all to no avail.

I am sure that if you were to put in a good word with the Lord, He will see to it that West Ham will be spared. I know that it is asking for a miracle, but miracles do happen (it says so in the Bible).

Please do whatever you can.

Your most humble servant,

Irons_Man

Just looked at the table - we've only LOST one more game than Stoke, yet they're 8th and in the FA Cup Final, while we're heading for Doncaster Rovers away.

I hate Stoke, not only for the one-trick-pony team that they are, but cos i spent a year living in the craphole.

But I think it shows the difference in commitment between the two sides. They never stop battling, and they've got 13 wins and 7 draws. A lot of our players don't even know the meaning of the word, and we've got 7 wins and 12 draws.

Too depressed to even think about next season. I wish we'd kept Matty Etherington.

Well, that's it then. Almost certain prospect of going down. Sick as hell for a wasted season, but there is still one thing that cheers me.

That's the fact that I got to see Scott Parker play his heart out for this club. His effort and his never-say-die spirit really have earned him a place among the West Ham immortals: the likes of Bobby Moore, Bonzo, Sir Trev, Julian Dicks - the real claret and blue warrior legends.

He has been the one bright star in a truly crap season. He gave the team, and the fans, inspiration and hope, but now it seems that all hope has gone, and all his efforts have been in vain.

What a bloody shame.

I only wish him the best for the rest of his career, wherever it may take him.